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I think we can all agree that for the most part this past year SUCKED! And not just because of all the celebrity deaths, although that certainly didn’t help. This has been a year where the violence we perpetrate against each other in the name of religion, race, sexuality, or whatever other excuses we can come up, with grew to mind-boggling proportions. Mother Nature and Gaia seemed to declare war on us, yet there are still those who cling to the belief that there is no such thing as climate change. And the rise of dangerous right-wing or alt-right politicians/demagogues is spreading through multiple countries. The worst of which is our own Emperor–ahem, sorry–President-elect Trump.

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And so, I spent much of the year feeling like this:

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and this:

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and this:

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and this:

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But you know what? Tomorrow morning isn’t just the start of a whole new year, although thank God it is!

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This is a chance for us to fight back, even if it’s in small ways. Whether it’s at the voting booth, showing a simple kindness to a stranger, or taking a stand against bigoted bullies. I know that the human race is better than this. The majority of us are kind and compassionate and look out for one another. One of the reasons I know this is because of the WordPress community. Since I joined 2 1/2 years ago, I’ve had only one nasty comment in response to a post (which was a political one) and I find that pretty damn amazing. No matter how low I feel, all of you always seem to be there with encouragement and support even though most of us aren’t even in the same state, let alone country or in some cases on the same continent. So, I guess what I’m trying to say in my rambling way is that all of you have restored my faith in humanity. We’re all from different religions, races, nationalities, gender, and sexual orientations, yet we all seem to not just “tolerate” each other’s differences, but respect and celebrate them. And if we can do that here, then we can share that same spirit with the outside world. So, I say we stand and fight! Fight against hate and apathy and racism and bigotry in whatever despicable form it takes!

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The world needs to start thinking about how we’re all more alike than not!

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So, I want to wish EVERYONE a Happy New Year! May 2017 bring more laughter and love, then tears and pain.

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Thank you all for, well, for being you!

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